"My body changed in a way it never had. I had always been
thin and fit. That was almost harder for
me to take than the loss of my breasts," said Jaecks.

She hoped swimming would help her ease back into exercise
and she headed to a city pool.

But she found it tough to find a suit that suited her
body.

"At that time, my port scar where my chemo port was was
especially sensitive and my neruopathy was a lot more permanent than it was
now," said Jaecks.

Jaecks finally decided to take a bold step and warned
pool staff.

"I said, ‘OK. I'm here to swim, but I'm just going to
wear my swimsuit bottoms,'" said Jaecks. "I said ‘I don't have any breast
tissue whatsoever. I don't have nipples. I just have two scars.'"

She says city staff told her she'd have to wear a gender
appropriate swimsuit.

"I never got in the pool," said Jaecks.

The city agreed to meet with Jaecks next week and said
they will make an exception for her.

She's hoping for more.

"I was kind of kicking myself that I asked for
permission, but it's not my style to make that big a splash - no pun intended,"
said Jaecks.

Representatives for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Foundation say women going through treatment struggle with body issues.

"There's self-confidence issues, self-esteem issues
about how you look to yourself and others," said Elisa Del Rosario, Susan
G. Komen for the Cure. "There's definitely room for improvement in how we
can support survivors after treatment."

"I saw it as a greater issue to rid us all of the stigma
of cancer and make people aware," said Jaecks.

Jaecks has come to accept her new body.

Now she wants to help other women suffering the same
condition to see the beauty in theirs.